Chirmule N B, Chaturvedi R M, Deo M G
Cancer Research Institute, Bombay, India.
Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1988 Mar;56(1):27-35.
The administration of a vaccine containing ICRC bacilli, which is currently undergoing clinical trials in India, induces persistent lepromin conversion in lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients and lepromin-negative healthy subjects, with "upgrading" of tissue response in the former. A sonicate of ICRC bacilli, when subjected to gel-filtration chromatography using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), yields a high molecular weight glycolipoprotein (PP-I) with an apparent molecular weight of 10(6) daltons. PP-I, which brings about lepromin conversion in lepromin-negative healthy subjects, is a major immunogen of the organism, and carries epitopes for both B and T cells. A similar high molecular weight glycolipoprotein (PP-I Mycobacterium leprae) has been isolated from the sonicate of M. leprae. The two PP-I fractions exhibit a close antigenic relatedness at both B- and T-cell levels. However, they differ in their chemical composition and carry different charges. PP-I of ICRC is not only a good immunogen. Its high lipid content provides the necessary built-in adjuvant that would make it a good candidate for a "subunit" antileprosy vaccine. Also, since it carries epitopes for both B and T cells, PP-I ICRC could be used for "molecular engineering" to obtain molecules which selectively stimulate T-cell immunity which is the dominant host defense against M. leprae.
一种含有印控区杆菌的疫苗目前正在印度进行临床试验，该疫苗可使瘤型麻风（LL）患者和麻风菌素阴性的健康受试者发生持续的麻风菌素转化，前者的组织反应会“升级”。印控区杆菌的超声提取物在使用高压液相色谱（HPLC）进行凝胶过滤色谱分析时，会产生一种表观分子量为10（6）道尔顿的高分子量糖脂蛋白（PP-I）。PP-I可使麻风菌素阴性的健康受试者发生麻风菌素转化，它是该生物体的主要免疫原，同时携带B细胞和T细胞的表位。已从麻风分枝杆菌的超声提取物中分离出一种类似的高分子量糖脂蛋白（麻风分枝杆菌PP-I）。这两种PP-I组分在B细胞和T细胞水平上均表现出密切的抗原相关性。然而，它们的化学组成不同，电荷也不同。印控区杆菌的PP-I不仅是一种良好的免疫原。其高脂质含量提供了必要的内源性佐剂，这将使其成为“亚单位”抗麻风病疫苗的良好候选物。此外，由于它携带B细胞和T细胞的表位，印控区杆菌PP-I可用于“分子工程”，以获得能够选择性刺激T细胞免疫的分子，而T细胞免疫是宿主抵御麻风分枝杆菌的主要防御机制。
